


The Way Fate Persists

by dancefantasy



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: Action & Romance, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Blood Magic, Blood and Gore, Canon Backstory, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Near Death Experiences, Partnership, Self Confidence Issues, cowboys and vampires, this story has bad pacing and i am sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:01:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28432071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancefantasy/pseuds/dancefantasy
Summary: "I told you that this was never gonna end well between us.""Is it so wrong to try and fight fate?"Skarlet and Erron Black meet. He slowly changes her life. They're constantly threatened. They briefly fall in love. But it's not meant to last forever.(Backstory for what's briefly mentioned in MK11)
Relationships: Erron Black/Skarlet
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	The Way Fate Persists

**Author's Note:**

> This is my attempt at backstory for Skarlet and Erron Black since not much is explained about what exactly went down with them long before MK11, but there are also likely some things that are not perfectly canonical, so take it as you will. I doubt what really went down was as dramatic as this, but I liked the idea.

"Whoa there." Erron Black's eyes looked at the other figure with calm calculation, one hand hovering over the gun holstered at his waist. The mercenary's travels had been unexpectedly interrupted by the presence of another armed fighter, and he hoped to avoid a fight if possible. After his last arduous campaign fighting for some high-ranking Outworld officials, a break would be nice. Back as a cowboy in Earthrealm so long ago, that never would have been possible, so he'd like the chance if available.

But here was this red-clad someone, pointing a shiny dagger towards him as they stood at a distance. He hadn't seen them coming, a rocky outcropping between them both to conveniently hide the ambush. It was hard to tell who they were underneath the mask and hood. Whoever they were, perhaps they could be persuaded not to fight.

"Stay back," the other hissed, a voice with an unfamiliar accent confirming Erron's suspicious they were likely a woman. "Or I _will_ attack."

Erron lifted his empty hands to show he wasn't a threat. "Easy, sugar. I don't hunt for sport. Unless you have a bounty on your head, I have no need to pull a trigger." She still remained poised to fight, causing Erron to sigh. "Well, you're jumpier than a green horse, aren't you? I'm not looking for trouble, ma'am."

She pointed her knife lower towards his feet. "Step away from there," she demanded. "Or you'll end up just like him."

Erron looked down to see the legs of a surely dead third party sticking out from under a dead bush, a yard away from where he stood. He obeyed and backed away, certainly wanting no business with a festering corpse. He wondered what she could possibly want with it as she slowly walked towards it once he had made some distance between them. Was it a friend that had met a poor fate, perhaps? Or perhaps she had killed him for his money.

While she poked around at the mysterious body, Erron tried to survey the area to make sure no one else would come threaten him. Once everything seemed pretty clear, and pleased she didn't seem so eager to bury that knife in his guts anymore, Erron thought it might be a good idea to try to make her an ally instead of an enemy.

"The name's Black. Erron Black," he introduced himself. "I've never seen anyone like you 'round here before. Is there a name I can call you by?"

She seemed hesitant to respond, but did. "...Skarlet." She spoke in a low voice, not looking back at him. She remained mainly focused on sealing the lid on top of a large vial filled with something dark red.

Erron tried putting the pieces together. Dead body. Red liquid. Being... kept? 

"Hold on; what's all that blood for?" he asked slowly, an idea beginning to form in his mind. "You're fixing to suck my veins or something, aren't you?" 

"I'm not a vampire," Skarlet growled as if his words were offensive. "In fact, they disgust me. They have no proper appreciation for blood, guzzling down whatever they get their hands on without a care for its properties beyond their own sustenance. Me? I study it. I can ascertain its value almost just by appearance, sometimes. Blood is so much more precious than a vampire could ever fathom," she ranted.

Erron crossed his arms, eyeing the way she held the glass vial closely to her chest as if it were near and dear to her. "So, you're not a vampire, obviously. Then what _does_ that make you?" he asked. 

"I am a blood mage," Skarlet proudly answered. "Chosen by Shao Kahn himself to learn this craft. And so, you'd be wise not to cross me."

Erron wasn't sure if he should be scared of or amused by her almost egotistic words. Remaining neutral, he tipped his hat to her. "Lucky for me, I was just passing through."

"Keep passing," Skarlet suggested. "There's nothing for you here."

"Nothing but a few new friendly faces," Erron said, half because he knew it would probably push all the wrong buttons. He couldn't help it; he wasn't always the type to keep his tongue reigned in. It was probably better to hurry on out before he faced any consequences for it. "I hope we meet again, Miss Skarlet."

She gave him a glare through narrowed eyes before he made a relaxed turn on his heel and began to continue his journey through the dry canyon area. "What an annoying man," she muttered under her breath as he left earshot. Him running away would have been her preferred reaction to her threats. Even starting a fight would have been tolerable. But no, he had to stay and _talk_ of all things. There was nothing worse than that: some overconfident man butting into her business. Skarlet had enough problems without some bold Earthrealmer wasting her time.

Indeed, another problem arrived just a few days later in the form of an attack. Unlike that infernal cowboy from before, the armed group that approached Skarlet out of nowhere didn't seem content to just have a quick chat. They seemed much more eager to cut her into pieces, and she knew why.

Not many recognized Skarlet when she was away from Shao Kahn's court, as she often covered up more of her appearance while traveling. Not only was it a practical decision due to the functionality of her clothing, but the extra anonymity kept her safe from anyone hoping to take her for ransom while she was alone. While hardly as valuable as others close to the Kahn, she made a much better target. Why? Because no one saw her as strong and royal. She was the weak orphan that Shao Kahn had pitied. Some used that as a reason to go easy on her, quickly learning that was a bad idea. Others saw it as a reason to hold absolutely nothing back, like these here.

They approached her from all sides, weapons fully extended to limit the space she could move in. It was a challenging situation. While she managed to parry with her dagger on one side and attack with her blood magik on the other, there were too many enemies to properly focus. She would manage to kill one of them only to be immediately struck from behind and disoriented once more.

But she kept fighting through the pain. As she spilled more blood, she could deal a heavier offense. More of her opponents fell, and for a moment she was confident that she could make it out alive. However, she felt herself growing slower as her battered muscles grew weaker. She had to pick her moves carefully--

"Skarlet?" A familiar voice with an Earthrealmer accent called out in concern from somewhere behind her. But Skarlet didn't have time to look as the last remaining attacker tripped her up and managed to pin her down with his boot, a spear pointed at her neck. The tip of the blade slowly pierced her skin, and she knew he wanted to murder her. She had killed all of his comrades; ransoming her would not be enough satisfaction acter such loss. So, perhaps this was the end...

"Stop or I'll shoot!"

The attacker looked up quickly to find the source of the threat, only to immediately fall over with a bullet hole in his forehead. Skarlet put a hand to her neck as she quickly sat up, feeling blood ooze from the wound. It has torn open more as the weapon had fallen. A few seconds later, and it could have been completely beyond repair.

She tried to catch her breath and calm down now that no one was trying to impale her throat, but there was no comfort to be found. She was seen as a valuable but easy target; more would come eventually. Seeing how many wounds they had inflicted made her hands shake more. They had been so close to success.

In the corner of her vision, she saw the man who had spoken walk over to her, gun still cautiously drawn. "That was a close one. You alright?"

"Not you again," Skarlet spat. Of course it was Erron Black, the hideously annoying cowboy from before. It was bad enough that she had needed rescue. The fact that he was her "hero" made it worse. If anyone should have helped, it should have been her family. But they hadn't, which made her more bitter. "I don't need your help."

"My mistake. I just figured most people didn't want to be made into a shish kebab by some outlaws. I should have known you were into that," Erron replied with subtle sarcasm. "If you'd rather be dead, I'll do the deed for you. For a fee, of course."

"Perhaps I truly might be better off dead," Skarlet hissed, wincing as she moved her leg and a deep cut dragged across the rocky earth. "I wouldn't be missed."

Erron tilted his head in curiosity. "I thought you said you were chosen by Shao Kahn himself. You have to be someone awful special for that. He's hardly known for being softhearted, but I'm sure he'd make sure you had a funeral at least."

" _No one_ truly appreciates me, not even with the valuable blood magik that I can use and no one else does!" Skarlet angrily cried, weary of how frequently she was belittled. "Hardly even the very Kahn who adopted me, and he taught me most of what I know. Not like I even feel like his daughter when he treats the others so much more highly..." After a moment of pause, she quickly seemed to regret opening up about her emotional struggles in front of Erron. "Get out of here," she growled. "If you'll stay, you'll just make a mockery of me."

Disregarding her order, Erron crouched down a few feet away from her to get on her level but keep a comfortable distance. "A mockery? You're the only blood mage I've ever met. Seem powerful as a headstrong hog, too, and that's a compliment." He looked around the area, noting the many dead bodies. "I don't know what I missed here, but you're the one who came out alive."

Skarlet shook her head. "It doesn't matter. No one's opinion will change. I could conquer an entire realm and they would still think I was the starving street urchin from long ago. They would still keep me from the work that I can do just as well as the others. Yet I continue to seek their approval like a disillusioned dog."

"No one will respect someone who doesn't respect themselves," Erron said, rising to stand once more. "The exception goes to me, because I have a hell of a lot of respect for you, looking at this carnage. So, maybe it's that you're just looking in the wrong places. And maybe you need to start by looking at yourself first."

Skarlet didn't respond, or even glance at him. She continued sulking, gripping her dagger with white knuckles. She was angry with this stranger for lecturing her as if he could possibly understand what she was going through. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to lash out. Because as much as she hated to admit it, there seemed to be a bit of truth in his words. It all made her heart ache even more. 

Erron took her silence as a sign to leave, and waited no further. "I best be on my way. As much as I'd love to socialize, I do have a schedule to attend to today." He tipped his hat and continued a few paces down the path. "I'd say 'stay safe,' but I certainly have no need to when you're perfectly capable of protecting yourself. I can see that, even if others are more blind. I hope you can open your eyes too," he finished as the sound of his footsteps grew more distant. And Skarlet was left to be consumed by her own thoughts.

Erron himself could have used some well-wishes of safety. Just as Skarlet had gotten herself into trouble, he too found himself in an unwanted altercation a few sunrises later. And as serendipity would have it, Skarlet wound eventually encounter this struggle just as he had encountered hers.

A tense argument with a Tarkatan had landed Erron in the scuffle just outside a small village. They had attacked hard and fast, Erron doing his best to block the blows of their arm blades with the stock of his rifle. He managed to push back and quickly land a few shots from his revolver, but it only seemed to make his opponent angrier.

Erron was clearly winning, the Tarkatan only landing a few small hits in their frenzied attack. Regardless, the fight was taking a long time, and Erron was eager to find a way to get the upper hand and finish things more quickly. But those sharp blades were flying everywhere. It was hard enough to keep blocking, even more difficult to find an opening.

Luckily, another voice shouted to him. "Black! Jump!" He knew that voice. And despite himself, he trusted that voice. Kicking back from his opponent, Erron leapt to grab hold of a tree branch, swinging his body upwards to avoid being sliced by his enemy's heavy swings before a small wave of blood swept across the ground and knocked the Tarkatan off their feet. Erron dropped back down on top of them, taking a vial of acid and smashing it on their face to finish the fight.

Erron got to his feet and chuckled under his breath before breathing a sigh of relief. "That'll give you an adrenaline rush." As his victim gurgled and screamed with their last remaining breaths, he briefly checked his rifle for any serious damage before turning to look at his unexpected aide. "Good seeing you here, Skarlet. Thanks for your help."

She stood at a distance, using her magik to coax the blood she had used back into a pouch. "I watched your struggle for a while. But I was impatient for your battle to end so I could pass through," she replied coolly. "Anything else was nothing more than returning your previous favor."

"I must continually praise a woman's impatience." Erron smiled beneath his mask, striding closer to her. "Funny how we keep meeting, isn't it? It's almost like it's meant to happen."

Skarlet narrowed her eyes, snapping her satchel shut and putting a hand on her dagger. "What are you implying?" She didn't find it easy to trust his ambivalent tone.

"It's just hard to say what's coincidence or not. Worth a consideration, don't you think?"

"Perhaps if you spent less time dreaming about chance and fate, you could have easily ended that fight yourself," Skarlet scoffed, wondering if she should regret saving his life. He was far too philosophical for her liking. It didn't fit his image.

Erron shrugged. "Fair enough." He then began a quick examination of his wounds, nothing serious but enough to cause bleeding here and there.

"Your fight was quite long, yet you sustained few injuries," Skarlet noted. "You may be a mere Earthrealmer, but there's something very powerful about you..." she mused, impressed by his ability to hold his own against such a strong opponent. As much as she disliked him, there was an admiration for his hardiness.

"I may have a bit of magic in me," Erron willfully admitted. "Everything else, I learned the hard way. Seems life was lookin' to teach a few more lessons today." He wiped blood from his hand off on his pant leg.

"Life challenged you, and you survived. I wonder what more you are capable of..." Skarlet seemed to look at the blood trailing down his forearm with a hungering desire.

Erron found it almost amusing how clearly desperate she was to get her hands on whatever power might be hiding within that liquid lifeforce of his. And so, he decided to humor her, holding his arm out towards her.

Skarlet quickly snapped out of her trance, narrowing her eyes with suspicion. "What are you doing?" she asked, warily holding her blade close. She still couldn't trust him completely.

"It's a gift," Erron explained with the hint of a smile in his eyes. "For saving my hide."

"It was only to save myself," Skarlet spat, disliking the thought of him believing she had a reason to actively keep him alive. "If they killed you, they'd come after me next."

Erron shrugged. "Either way, it's not like I have a use for spilled blood."

He had an oddly persuasive way of talking, Skarlet thought. She was fully aware of how he tried to speak in a way that she couldn't say no to, feeding directly into her own mind so that she would almost think it was her own idea. It didn't seem manipulative in that moment, but it was still dangerous. Regardless, she felt she could hold her own in that moment if anything went wrong. With a wave of her hand, the blood moved off his arm, through the air, and into a small jar at her side. She gave Erron a curt nod before turning away to leave the area. 

He let her go without a fuss. There were moments where it was best not to try pushing limits, and this was certainly a time where it was best to leave things be. After all, Erron had noticed the way she had seemed to make the blood at his wound clot, preventing anymore bleeding. Her unrelenting unfriendliness was, evidently, at least somewhat a façade.

This was proven when she approached him the next time they passed by each other, seeming to actually want to converse with her new acquaintance.

"Funny how our paths keep crossing," Erron said as she came close, stepping off his horse. "I'd almost say you were looking for me," he joked.

Skarlet didn't seem to think it so funny, but made no show of her annoyance. "I see you have recovered well from that battle," she noted, glancing at where there used to be gashes in his arms. "They seem to have scarred over well."

Erron looked at his skin curiously. He couldn't even pick out which ones were the most recent. "Hard to say what's what, I've got so many."

Skarlet looked at him curiously. It was almost surprising that he got in so many fights, when it seemed he could talk his way out of almost anything if he tried hard enough. "Why did that Tarkatan attack you?" she felt compelled to inquire.

"Let's just say I tend to work for those who aren't necessarily loved by all," Erron said in a low voice. "And therefore, plenty have a bone to pick with me in the hopes of wearing down whatever man is currently paying me koin."

"That's the problem with you mercenaries. Your ever-changing loyalties eventually leave you with enemies on all sides. Even when you don't need to fight, you'll still find yourself being attacked."

Erron tilted his head slightly, looping his thumbs into his belt. "Interesting words, coming from the assassin type like you. Ever consider that maybe I just find it fun to fight?"

Skarlet rolled her eyes. "You see your life as a game."

He casually looped his thumbs in his belt, posture relaxed as he suggested, "Well, join me. Let's play it together."

"What?!"

Erron laughed at her incredulous response and the horror and shock on her face. "What? I've got nowhere to be and a world to explore. You seem like you could use a chance to proper clear your head. Try it out. Just be free for a while. I think it could be beneficial to the both of us. What do you say?"

Skarlet shook her head repeatedly as if it would convince herself 'no' even more. It was such a horrible idea. Her loyalties laid with Shao Kahn; she couldn't just run away from those responsibilities, especially not with this man who seemed to be a magnet for trouble, the man who constantly annoyed her with his nonchalant attitude. So why did it sound so inviting?

Still, she tried to make a firm choice. The _reasonable_ choice. "I... can't."

"Can't? Or won't?" Erron prodded. "Don't you wanna know what it's like to make your own rules for a little while? You're the one who said it yourself -- you won't be missed if you disappear for a while."

 _Ugh._ He was right. Just as he had been right when he said that maybe she should care less about seeking others' approval. Perhaps a change of pace would do her some good, after all.

"Fine," Skarlet gave in with difficulty. "I'll join your travels for now. But the second I don't like anything, I'll be gone."

Erron smiled. "Now that's a pleasure to hear."

And so, they began traveling together for a while, as neither had any current responsibilities to hold them back. It was the freest Skarlet had ever felt, seeing hidden corners of Outworld she had never imagined could have existed. And Erron was not only a good guide to this never-before-seen world, but somehow also a comfort. The way he treated Skarlet made her feel more confident in herself.

They also tried to teach each other things, whatever the other was willing to learn. She did refuse to fire a gun, and he refused to try any spells of hers. But he wasn't ever disturbed by her magik. In fact, he seemed almost enamored every time he saw her use it. He must have had a deep appreciation for the rare skill. And that appreciation felt so good.

One day, as the sun was setting, Erron said something ominous out of the blue. "Y'know, fate is against us. Our kind aren't supposed to work together."

"What do you mean?" Skarlet asked, strolling beside him as he rode his horse at a slow walk.

He looked at the orange sky, deep in thought. "It's just not how this world works. A man like me and a woman like you will always have the odds against them once they team up. It'll never end well."

Those seemed like strange words, coming from him. "If you say so, then why keep yourself at risk? You shouldn't tempt fate."

Erron tilted his hat back to get a good look at her. "I'm a tough boy. Besides, some things are worth tempting fate for," he finished with a wink.

Skarlet's heart skipped a beat, and then she immediately became angry with herself for being affected by his odd charm. But perhaps it was simply from the delightful sense of danger in something supposedly forbidden by fate like Erron had said. However, she refused to think anything bad could happen to them. All they were doing was exploring a part of Outworld together, finding new things along the way. Finding new friendships, perhaps. There was nothing wrong in that.

Erron hadn't shied away from robbing a few strangers along their way like a highwayman. It was necessary to keep up an income or otherwise they'd starve and run out of supplies. But it hadn't done well to make the pair popular among those folk. Word got around about a man and a woman wreaking havoc on innocent travelers to get to their purses. A bounty was quickly put on their heads. Erron and Skarlet found this out the hard way, baited into an ambush. Seeing something curious in a small gully, they had carefully traveled down the rocky slope to check it out. Immediately, they were cornered by five armed men. Erron and Skarlet were quickly separated, two attempting to take down the cowboy while the other three dealt with Skarlet.

She tried to fight with great tact and planning for the first few minutes, able to dispatch one of the enemies after trading a few blows. But she heard Erron struggling to fight against his two opponents, taking a reckless moment to glance his direction and see what was going on.

Erron's gun had been knocked from his hands. The two other men approached him quickly from each side before Erron could prepare another weapon to fight with. Their hooked swords latched into his abdomen, a quick pull ripping his skin and muscle apart in a devastating blow.

"ERRON!" Skarlet screeched in horror as she watched a mess pour from his wound and splatter onto the ground. His body seemed to fall to the earth in slow-motion, so horribly limp. Skarlet felt her insides boil with rage. How dare they do such a thing to him? To Erron? To the only person who had seemed to truly care about her in a while?

Skarlet immediately sent out blood tendrils to drag back and choke the pair of fighters who had committed that terrible wound to her partner. They succumbed to death quickly, but the other two remaining fights came up behind her and grabbed her. But they were no match for her newfound rage. Her dagger slid deeply through one's body from waist to neck. The other was no match for a strong spell that drained nearly all of his blood from his body until he was a pale corpse. It was quite a show of strength.

But the four men she had just killed were out of her mind as soon as they had no longer become a threat. Skarlet immediately ran to Erron, fearing the worst. Thankfully, he was still alive; shaky, scratchy breaths heaved in and out of his mouth as she looked over his body.

She hoped to keep him alive, but the prognosis was weak. There was a gaping hole in his abdomen, a pit filled with dark blood and steadily growing deeper. Erron sputtered and coughed through the liquid that had made its way into his throat, trying to speak. "Skarlet. Get out of here. It's too dangerous to stay. I believe more are coming."

Skarlet knelt at his side, growing fearful at how terribly he had been wounded. "No! We will both make it out of here alive. I swear it." With as much conviction as she hoped to say it with, saving the cowboy's life was easier said than done. He was losing blood at a terribly rapid pace...

Thankfully, blood was something Skarlet did know quite well.

She opened all the vials of blood she had on her, using her magik to mix them into the pool of Erron's that laid on top of his torn body. She began to make the mass of blood move, slowly forcing it back into Erron's severed veins to pump back through his body once more. It was hard to say if it was helping more than hurting as he grunted through the odd sensation of his blood moving in an unnatural way, but it was keeping the vital liquid from leaving him completely and consequently depleting his cells of oxygen until he eventually faded away. 

The great amount of concentration it took to keep the blood moving through Erron's body at a steady pace was grueling. Skarlet began to shake as she focused, all of her muscles fighting against her as she tried to stay locked in place and prevent any tragic mishaps. One wrong move could cause all of his blood to crystalize and surely end his life.

As dazed as Erron was from the pain, he noticed how much she was struggling to keep up her magik. He shook his head slightly while trying to meet the attention of her eyes. "Come on, now, little lady. Let me go. I told you that this was never gonna end well between us."

"Is it so wrong to try and fight fate?" Skarlet said through gritted teeth, the strained tone betraying the fact that the shine in her eyes was from tears. Erron had done too much for her to die like this on the cold, hard ground while she was helpless to watch him slip away. How would she ever be able to thank him for giving her the confidence that she was worth something? The conviction that she _was_ powerful, despite others' opinions? The magik she was using to keep him alive at least a few minutes longer was proof enough, but he had believed in her when she was at one of her lowest points. This couldn't be the end. She needed more time. "More time. More time. More time," she quietly muttered to herself, as if praying to the elder gods to give the two mismatched fighters a second chance to make things work.

Erron used some of his last remaining strength to put his hand on her arm that stretched out towards the large wound in his body. "We had a good run while it lasted. That's good enough. Just let me go."

Skarlet sensed in his voice that he was only saying this so she wouldn't have to see him inevitably die. After all, it would take more than just blood to save his life. His damaged organs needed repair. She would need to find help fast if he had any chance of survival.

"Your steed," she prompted. "The horse you ride. Where is it?"

Erron looked confused as to why she was asking, but didn't have the energy left to question her. "Tied to the dead tree a short walk down the path there. Y-you should be able to see it from here."

Skarlet turned her head around to see the blue, horned horse not too far from where they were. It just might work, she decided. She prepared to put her plan into action. "I hope your heart can handle this," she warned Erron.

"What?" he asked, growing more confused by the moment as it felt his exposed nerves were screaming in pain and his whole body ached.

Skarlet suddenly dropped her hands, her magik no longer aiding his heart in moving Erron's blood or keeping any more of it from leaking onto the dusty ground. He weakly held out his hand towards her as she ran towards his horse, hoping she was leaving for her own sake but still wishing she would stay for his. As she unknotted the horse's rope, his sight faded away and he lost all consciousness...

...

_Erron... Erron! Don't give up yet._

Someone was saying his name. Was it an angel? He had to be on his way to the afterlife. Not many can survive such a grievous wound. Erron had lived a long life thanks to the anti-aging magic that he had been granted, but there was still more he wished he could have done. Those last few minutes he had of breathing weren't as fulfilling of an end as he would have liked.

"Do me a favor, angel," he spoke into the void he felt himself ethereally floating in. "Give Skarlet some sign I wish I was still there with her. I wanted to see more of the amazing things she can do."

_...I can't do that._

"Why not?" Erron asked. "Shouldn't I get some final wish? Well, I guess I shouldn't assume I'm headed to a place where folks like me deserve that."

_You're not going anywhere._

"So, death is really just this eternal nothing, is it? At least that means the last thing I'll have seen was her."

_Don't say that._

"No. She was beautiful and mysterious. With a fiery passion. What more could a man want? It was like the best I never had..." Erron slowly stopped speaking, suddenly feeling very tired in all this darkness. But that distant voice still reached his ears.

 _You_ must _keep living. I can't lose you already; I don't know what I'd do. You have become everything to me._

Erron's head was pounding, keeping him from fully comprehending what he was hearing. But he did understand that the angelic voice sounded painfully distraught. He longed to comfort it, as any Southern gentleman would. But he wasn't much of a gentleman, and he couldn't find who spoke to him even if he tried. Still, he wished he could as he was helpless to fade out of consciousness, accepting the darkness around him.

...

Erron's eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the strange light of the room. It felt like an impossibly heavy weight was holding him down as he slowly shifted his weight, trying to see where he was.

It didn't look like heaven, but it didn't look like hell either. A run-down shack of sorts? And a bit of mid-morning light shining through a small window. He managed to lift his head high enough to see that his torso was almost completely wrapped in bandages, slightly stained with blood from underneath.

It hurt. Like he ate a stick of dynamite and it exploded in his guts, a big ball of fire eating away at him. It was the worst thing he had ever felt, but that at least meant he was feeling something. 

"Well, look at that. I'm alive," Erron said to himself in surprise, last remembering Skarlet leaving him alone in a pile of his own viscera. 

But he turned to see Skarlet sitting at a wooden table, delicately working with small items and vials. She glanced at him once she heard him speak, seemingly startled before breathing a quiet sigh of relief. "Yes, you're alive," she agreed.

It felt good to see he wasn't alone. Still, he wanted to know what he has missed to feel truly safe. "This certainly isn't where I remembered leaving things off, so... Mind telling me what's going on, Skarlet?"

"Someone... _offered_ to let you stay here while you recovered," Skarlet explained, although really she had threatened them to allow her to use their home until Erron was well enough to travel. They had left her alone quickly, fearful that the man she was dragging behind her was an example of what would happen if they got in her way. "I managed to suture your wounds as well as possible to stop the bleeding. I can't say it was perfect, but I tried to make sure you would still be able to move and function as normal."

Erron shifted his body slightly. "Arms and legs move. I'm breathing. I figure the rest works just as much, though all I can currently account for is that I can feel a hearty helping of pain."

Skarlet raised an eyebrow, looking back at what she had been working on. "Yet you're taking it incredibly well if you are able to carry on with that tiresome tongue of yours," she pointed out.

Ah, so she still had some of that stinging fire for him, even if she clearly had warmed up to him enough to spend so much effort saving him. Erron found it a bit endearing that she stayed that way. "Fair enough. But it's all because I just know how much you like hearing me talk," he joked.

He could tell that Skarlet frowned beneath her mask as she replied, "Don't flatter yourself." But despite her displeased words, there was a lack of _real_ frustration with his show of ego. She seemed more hesitant to interact with him. Perhaps his relatively calm reaction to the situation bothered her.

Erron gave himself a quick examination to properly see all that had been done to him. Less deadly wounds, such as those on his arms, seemed to have been almost completely ignored. It must have taken all of Skarlet's effort just to have made sure he would wake up again, not wasting any time on anything more trivial. It would have been hard work, he was sure.

"You could have left me there and saved yourself a whole lot of trouble. Why'd you do all this for me?" he asked.

"There are a plethora of terrible mercenaries. We should at least save one good one," Skarlet answered in a somewhat sarcastic tone. Then her visage became a more somber. "And you're the only one around here with any sense of respect for me. Mutual respect requires I help you."

"Thank you, ma'am," Erron replied, a laugh behind his words despite the serious situation. "You saved my life. How am I ever going to repay you?"

She rose from her seat and strolled to a nearby window, taking her time before answering. "I do not wish to be repaid," she told him, looking back over her shoulder.

"I don't believe that. Everybody's got something they crave. Money, revenge, land. There's not one thing in this whole wide world you want?"

Skarlet turned away again, eyebrows twisting upwards. "Nothing that isn't foolish." There was a strain in her words from her throat tightening. She had realized in the past hours one thing she deeply craved, but it wasn't reasonable. Not for someone like her. Her loyalties had to remain only to the Kahn, but she had grown unbelievably attached to something else.

Ignoring his pain, Erron carefully got onto his feet; although the healing had done wonders for him, he was still quite weary from having nearly died not too long ago. But he had enough strength to boldly turn Skarlet by her shoulders and look deeply into her cinnabar eyes. "Hey, now. Nothin' foolish about loving someone, Rosie."

Maybe he was bluffing with that line, but Skarlet couldn't play it cool and restrain her feelings any longer. She couldn't bring herself to lie and deny that she had grown feelings for him against all better judgement. There was something about him that she desperately hadn't wanted to lose. "How'd you know I felt such a way?"

Erron shrugged. "I've learned how to pick up on clues, and you've dropped a few." He chuckled deeply before his next words, eyeing her closely to catch her response. "And I don't know who else would have left a lipstick stain on me when I had got one foot in the grave."

Skarlet immediately blushed almost as red as her hair, remembering that she had kissed the back of his hand after the frantic hours of ministering to his wounds. If any of her dark lipstick had come off on his skin, it was an easy place to find it. She had been too focused on hoping he'd live to see morning that she hadn't been careful enough to cover any tracks that would lead him to see she saw him as more than a mere acquaintance. "I..." Embarrassed, words escaped her, and she avoided eye contact.

Luckily, Erron picked up the slack. "There's no need to apologize or nothin'. I've had a hankering for you too, I'll admit. So I say enough beating around the bush. If a man and a woman find themselves wanting, let it happen."

"Erron--" Skarlet said hesitantly, fearful of giving into her desires. She still hated herself for allowing herself these feelings. She hated him for being so nonchalant about his life. Yet she was so drawn to him and the positive way he made her feel, despite everything that said it would be a horrible idea to get together. When she was threatened with the idea of losing him forever, she realized how much she wanted to stay with him.

"What do you say?" Erron asked.

Skarlet scoffed. "...By the gods, why do I want to say yes?" she muttered to herself.

"Yes to what?"

"Yes, I want you," Skarlet admitted in a low voice. "I want you to call me yours."

"I would be happy to do that. But first thing's first." Erron gently put his hands on her face, and she let him. He removed her mask from her face, calloused fingers brushing against her skin. "There's a pretty face," he said with a smile as he discarded the item.

Skarlet was suddenly shy about her appearance, as she had never been considered so beautiful as those like her adopted "sister," Kitana. She had always kept her mask on while they had been traveling together; he had never really seen her full face before. But the way Erron looked at her for the first time made Skarlet almost dizzy with joy. For once, being vulnerable felt good.

Erron slowly moved closer, testing the waters before committing to anything too soon. But Skarlet was eager for contact, roughly pulling him closer until their faces were nearly touching. 

"Careful, _my_ darlin'. I reckon I'm held together with stitches right now," Erron laughed, surprised by her sudden courage to lay hands on him.

"We can stitch you back all over again," Skarlet answered. And Erron would have been okay with that as she quickly got to work on claiming his lips for her own. Everything else faded away as they gave in to their desires for affection.

After Erron healed, they continued to wander together for a few months more just as before, with perhaps just more physical contact and whispers of sweet nothings while looking up at the stars on quiet nights. Skarlet decided that she had never felt a more comfortable resting place for her head than on Erron's strong arm. 

There was something thrilling about it all. A secret romance that Skarlet's family had no knowledge about, hiding from locals who wanted them gone when they stirred up trouble together. But it couldn't last forever, as good as it was. Skarlet felt her sense of ambition come back to her as her self-confidence grew from her time with Erron. Unfortunately, that meant that she couldn't continue living life she had been for the past while.

"I cannot stay with you any longer, Erron," she told him early one morning. "Because I wish to become ruler of Outworld one day. To do so, it is necessary I remain close in the Kahn's court. I do not wish to become too... _needlessly_ attached to you before my opportunity arises." She explained quickly, not wanting him to interrupt with difficult questions or puppy-dog eyes.

He looked at her in thought for a few moments before a dull smirk lifted his face. "I see. So, maybe we really were never meant to work out, after all. It's not like I didn't know this would probably happen. Just wish it didn't happen so soon."

"So this is goodbye," Skarlet said tightly, her things already packed up to leave.

Erron nodded slowly, seeming to still be processing the sudden news. "Will you miss me, sunshine? Because I sure as hell will miss you."

"...Why?" Half of the reason Skarlet asked was that she wanted to hear him say sweet words one last time. Surely no one else would. That's why letting go was hard. But she felt drawn to success more than she felt drawn to love. Love was a wonderful thing, but it was frightening.

And it was even more frightening just how much Erron did seem to genuinely care for her as well. "You're powerful and dangerous. So beautiful, so spirited. You were all I could ever ask for in a woman." He sighed. "But I guess our partnership ends here. I'm sorry, but, from now on, I can't hesitate to kill you if those are my orders."

"...The same to you, Erron Black," Skarlet responded. Foolish feelings could no longer rule her heart. "Until then, I wish you the best of luck."

Skarlet began to leave, but Erron offered a few final words. "Prove them wrong. Prove to them how powerful you are."

"I will," Skarlet said assuredly. And she allowed herself a few moments to start missing the way he had loved her before she refused to let those thoughts take up any space in her mind. They had both had a thrilling time together in those few weeks, though it was never something that would last forever, and she knew they had both known it when it started. It simply wasn't fated to be. But that was okay. Skarlet no longer felt the need for approval from anyone but herself.


End file.
